Good evening. So we've been talking about the various bodhisattva figures and their practices during this practice period. Tonight I want to speak about Samantabhadra bodhisattva. One of the important but less, in some ways less prominent bodhisattvas in the Mahayana tradition. This bodhisattva, there's an image of him on the altar next to the candle riding an elephant. It represents, well, you say the, active practice bodhisattva, the shining practice bodhisattva we say in our meal chant. So this is the bodhisattva who activates the wisdom of Manjushri. We were talking yesterday about the various kinds of balances between Manjushri's wisdom and the various kinds of outreach of other bodhisattvas and the various different kinds of compassion.

[01:15]

So Samantabhadra is the Sanskrit name Pushan in Chinese, Fugen in Japanese, is The Bodhisattva who, a complicated Bodhisattva, he represents, well, he's prominent in the Flower Ornament or Avatamsaka Sutra and in the Chinese Huayen School. He's also prominent in the Lotus Sutra, but primarily appears in the Flower Ornament Sutra, which is a wonderful, vast compendium of Bodhisattva activity Here's the English translation. So it may seem rather daunting, but it's also very visionary and luminous and psychedelic. Anyway, Samantabhadra has a number of different facets, very dedicated, very visionary.

[02:22]

I think aesthetic. And from our Western point of view, I would say the activist, Bodhisattva. But he represents a sense of interconnectedness. Maybe I'll start with his, well, riding the elephant. Very deliberate in his motions. Very stately. He has his own set of 10 vows. So maybe that's a good place to start. So a number of the bodhisattva, we say the four bodhisattva vows at the end of all of our services, but some of the bodhisattvas have their own set of vows. Samantabhadra's 10 vows, which appear at the end of the Flower Ornament Sutra, include venerating, praising, and making offerings to Buddhas, asking Buddhas to teach, Um, so, uh, this is a kind of, represents the devotion of Samantabhadra, um, and also, um, um, uh, studying the Dharma, um, uh, for the sake of others and sharing it with others.

[03:41]

Um, confessing his, one's own past misdeeds, um, rejoicing in the happiness of others. So there's the kind of joyful aspect of Samantabhadra, appreciating the joy of other beings. also benefiting all beings. So I think this is very important, this sense of seeing all beings in a very wide way and acting to benefit them, and then also transferring one's merit to others. So all of, excuse me, so this idea of transferring merit that appears for many of the bodhisattvas, merit is not a commodity, that can to be transferred, but that the energy of our practice, one way to think of that, is that the energy that was aroused in this period of Zazen that we just did

[04:45]

the energy that we may all have felt from all of us doing this concentration together, that we don't take this for ourselves, but that this is generated for the benefit of all beings. And of course that includes ourselves, but it includes, it's a very wide view of bodhisattva activity. So these commitments or vows of Samantabhadra are very important in acting to benefit all beings. Samantabhadra is also notable in terms of the specific samadhis or meditations, the specific vision that Samantabhadra takes on. So there are specific samadhis or concentrations that Samantabhadra is involved with, and these have to do with some of the visions that are in the Flower Ornament Sutra.

[05:49]

One of those that is very well known is Indra's Net, the idea of the universe being a network where all of the, wherever the meshes of the net meet, there's a jewel, and each of those jewels reflect all of the jewels around it, and each of those jewels reflect the light of the jewels around those. So there's this sense of this holographic intermeshing of the light of all beings, and the interconnectedness of all beings, and Samantabhadra represents that particularly. There's another, so there's a chapter in the Flower Ornament Sutra on the meditation of Samantabhadra. And the samadhi that's introduced there is called the imminent body of the illuminator of thusness. And I thought I'd read a little from the sutra just to give you a feeling of that.

[06:51]

And the name Samantabhadra means universally good, or universally worthy, or universally virtuous. So the enlightening being, universally good, it starts, which is a translation of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva. The enlightening being, universally good, the great being, sat on a lion throne made of a bank of lotus flowers and imbued with the psychic power of the enlightened one, the Buddha, entered into concentration. This concentration is called the imminent body of the illuminator of thusness or suchness, which is in all enlightened ones. It enters everywhere into the equal essence of all enlightened ones and is capable of manifesting myriad images in the cosmos vastly and immensely without obstruction equal to space. all the whirling oceans of universes flow along into it. It produces all states of concentration and can contain all worlds in all directions.

[08:00]

The ocean of lights of knowledge of all the enlightened ones Come from here, this is the source of all enlightened knowledge. It contains within it all the powers and liberations of the enlightened ones, of the Buddhas, and the knowledge of the enlightening beings, or bodhisattvas. It can cause the particles of all lands to be universally able to contain boundless universes. It develops the ocean of virtuous qualities of all Buddhas and reveals the ocean of great vows of these enlightened ones. All the cycles of teaching of the Buddhas flow through it and are guarded and maintained by it and kept without interruption or end. So this is a vision of the universe and reality containing this power of awakening and illumination and liberation.

[09:01]

Just to go a little further. As in this world, the enlightening being universally good entered this concentration in the presence of the world-honored one, the Buddha. Thus, in the same way, throughout the realm of space of the cosmos, in all directions and all times, in a subtle, unhindered, vastly expansive light, and all lands visible to the Buddha's eye, within reach of the Buddha's power manifested by the Buddha's body, and in each atom, of all those lands, there were Buddhas as numerous as atoms in oceans of worlds. And in front of each of those Buddhas were universally good enlightening beings, Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, numerous as atoms in the ocean of worlds, each also entering into this concentration in the eminent body of the illuminator of thusness in enlightened ones. So this was happening in all directions and in all times.

[10:07]

So Dylan, you were asking about the nature of time yesterday. This gives a different view of this than we usually think of. At that time, it continues, each of the universally good ones saw the Buddhas of the ten directions appearing before them. Those Buddhas praised universally good, Samantabhadra, in the same voice. Oh good, you are able to master this enlightening being's concentration in the eminent body of the illuminator of thusness in all Buddhas. This is fostered in you by all the Buddhas everywhere together by means of the power of the original vow of the illuminating, or illuminating realized one, Vairochana Buddha. So I'm going to say more about Vairochana Buddha, but I'll try and get to the end of the paragraph. And it is also because you cultivate the power of the practices and vows of all Buddhas, that is to say, because you can activate all the cycles of the enlightening teaching, revealing the ocean of knowledge and wisdom of all enlightened ones, universally illumine all the oceans of distinctions everywhere, without exception, cause sentient beings to clear away confusion and affliction and attain purity.

[11:30]

universally accept all lands without attachment, deeply enter the sphere of all enlightened ones without impediment, and universally expound the virtues and qualities of all enlightened ones, because you are able to enter into the true character of all things and develop knowledge and wisdom, analyze all the media of the teachings, comprehend the faculties of all living beings, and because you are able to hold the oceans of written teachings of all the Buddhas. So this is what Vairochana Buddha says to this bodhisattva, Samantabhadra, universally good. Vairochana Buddha is the name given to the Dharmakaya Buddha, which is the aspect of Buddha that is not like Shakyamuni, who was a human being who became the awakened one in our history. not like the Sambhogakaya Buddhas, the spirit Buddhas who appear and are around and we can call on.

[12:34]

But Vairocana is the name of the Buddha that is all of reality as awakened. So this Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is Way heavy, I mean like really, you know, the bodhisattva that is connected with everything, everything. Okay, this is the bodhisattva who's, who, because Vairochana is the main Buddha in the Flower Ornament Sutra. So, it goes on, I'll say a little bit more about what happens because, It says, as in this world, in the presence of the Buddha, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, universally good, enlightening being, experienced the Buddha's bestowing such this knowledge. So in all oceans of worlds, as well as in each atom of all those worlds, so did all the enlightening beings, universally good, their experience this. So in each of the worlds, there were

[13:35]

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva sitting in front of the Buddha, who were receiving the wisdom from the Buddha. And then this weird thing happens. As in this, it gets even weirder, as in this, and then, you know, they haven't, you know, even, you know, Scorsese and George Lucas, they haven't been able to figure out how to put this into a movie yet, you know, it's just beyond all of the special effects they have. As in this world, the universe, so it goes on to say that, you know, Yeah, then the Buddhists of the 10 directions each extended his right hand and patted universally good on the head. Then their hands were each adorned with marks of greatness, being finely webbed, and it goes on to talk about the various hands, and with fragrance and flames. So this is this very visionary view of Buddhists and bodhisattvas.

[14:41]

I'm going to bring it back to our world before we leave, but this is the way this sutra talks about it, and there were all these different Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas sitting in front of all these Buddhas, but then it says, As in this world, universally good was patted on the head by all the Buddhas of the 10 directions. So in all the oceans of worlds, and in each atom of those worlds, the enlightening beings, universally good, there were patted on the head by the Buddhas of the 10 directions. So all of those Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, in each world and in every atom of those worlds, were patted on the head by all the Buddhas in all those atoms in all those worlds. I mean, George Lucas couldn't even touch it. So this is the realm of this meditation or concentration of Samantabhadra. So OK, what is this about?

[15:42]

So this has to do with a kind of sense of interconnectedness, of the way that the world and the environment is webbed together. If we think about it in terms of how we function in our world and what this bodhisattva means to us in terms of practice in this world. This is a bodhisattva who represents, well I think it's a very artistic vision, it's a very aesthetic way of seeing the environment. It's about the interconnectedness of the environment. How each piece and each part, and on some level scientifically this is true, each piece of everything is connected to everything else. how we breathe is connected to how each of us breathes. And all of the trees and all of the rainforests in the world are connected to how we breathe and so forth, this deep interconnectedness.

[16:49]

But this is taking it even out of the realm of just our world, this is talking about all the different planets and all the different galaxies and all the different dimensions. But we can see this in terms of seeing the beauty of the systems of connectedness in the environment. So do you all know who Rachel Carson was? Do some of you know who Rachel Carson was? Some of you don't know who Rachel Carson was. OK, Rachel Carson is considered the mother of modern environmentalism. She was a great marine biologist who wrote about So back in the 50s and 60s, she wrote about the ocean as a system, a beautiful system where everything was connected. She wrote a book called The Sea Around Us. which expressed that. But then she also became alarmed by the way the ocean was being polluted. And this was back then, now it's, you know, the ocean is being destroyed, really.

[17:53]

But she wrote a book called Silent Spring about the pollutions of the ocean, and the polluters, of course, vilified her, and, you know, now they seem to be controlling our government. But Samantabhadra represents this sense of the beauty of the connectedness of things. but also the responsibility to take care of it and protect it. So Samantabhadra has this kind of aesthetic, artistic, visionary aspect. Samantabhadra, the image of Samantabhadra sitting on an elephant, observing the world. And there are all kinds of visualization exercises in the Lotus Sutra and in the Flower Ornament Sutra about visualizing this elephant. You can see in the image that's on the altar, if you look at it later, wherever it steps there's a lotus.

[18:55]

And it's not that he's crushing the lotuses, it's that a lotus comes up to meet the elephant's feet and it has six tusks and there are magical pools at the end of each tusk with bodhisattvas on them. Anyway, it's this very, it's this wild visionary event. So you see images of Samantabhadra in East Asia, often as paired with Manjushri. Manjushri is the bodhisattva of wisdom we've talked about, who's sitting underneath the Buddha on her altar, rides a lion and represents this vision and insight into reality right now, this kind of intuitive wisdom. and seeing into what's important, Samantabhadra is paired with Manjushri as the activity of wisdom, riding an elephant rather than a lion, and it's the activity that is kind of stately and deliberate.

[20:01]

So I think of, compared to Kanon, the Bodhisattva of compassion who hears the sounds of the world and responds immediately, with skillful means to the suffering right in front of her. Samantabhadra I think of as responding like Rachel Carson to the systems of the sources of systemic suffering. So I think of Samantabhadra, and again, all of these bodhisattvas need to be expressed and translated in each culture. I think of Samantabhadra as the activist bodhisattva. someone as responding to, amongst other things, along with this artistic and visionary quality and devotional quality, dedication, to responding to situations of injustice in the systems of the world. In the book, I talk about various modern culture figures who exemplify these different bodhisattvas.

[21:03]

So I think of Dr. King, who we've talked about, and Gandhi. So in that spirit, I wanted to talk about just a couple of campaigns for justice long-term dedicated campaigns. So to think of Samantabhadra riding his elephant, looking at long-term campaigns to help all the beings, like Gandhi's salt march or Dr. King's various campaigns. So just a couple of things that are happening today. The Poor People's Campaign that Dr. King was involved with when he was killed 50 years ago this month, which we've talked about. On Mother's Day in 1968, Coretta Scott King, after Dr. King was killed,

[22:10]

was continue the Poor People's Campaign that Dr. King started and led a march to Washington, D.C., which was called Resurrection City and had an encampment there. Today, many faith leaders are calling for continuation of the Poor People's Campaign. Dr. William Barber, and I forget the name of the woman who's working with him, but many people, are talking about, well, a large demonstration June 23rd, but continuing beyond that. Dr. Barber is the one person who started the Moral Mondays campaign in North Carolina. But people of faith talking about the needs of poor people and the policy of violence against poor people that's happening now, particularly the tax on women and children, Almost 50% of children in this country are poor, according to the statistics.

[23:16]

So there's an attempt to, involving civil disobedience, to try and just bring this situation to wider attention. A large percentage of working people don't have a living wage, work at more than one job. And that's what's happening in this country. So that's one nonviolent campaign that is a systemic campaign for justice and for caring for people in the spirit of how I see Samantabhadra. Another event today. are the large nonviolent demonstrations in Gaza. So President Trump just today moved the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, which basically ends the possibility of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.

[24:25]

and basically makes the state of Israel officially an apartheid state. There have been thousands of Palestinians in Gaza non-violently, really non-violently going. This hasn't been in our mainstream media much, but they're going to the border of Israel and just standing there and voicing their objections to the Israeli capital being moved to Jerusalem. And today, Israeli soldiers fired live bullets at them, at these nonviolent demonstrators. Thousands were wounded. As of this morning, about 50 were already dead. So this is happening today. President Trump sent to the ceremony to dedicate the new embassy

[25:35]

to make the dedications to pastors, one of whom is a man named Reverend Jeffers, who has, in his talk, viciously attacked Muslims and Jews and LGBT people. and Mormons as non-Christians and Buddhists and Hindus. So this is the person who is one of the people who's making a dedication for the new American embassy in Jerusalem. The other one is, I think his name is Reverend Hagee. And he's talked about how God sent Hitler as a hunter of the Jewish people to help start the end times. So these are the people that are representing the United States and the dedication of the new embassy there. So in the spirit of Samantabhadra, I felt like I needed to say something about those examples of the Gaza people, the Palestinians, non-violently objecting to this, and they've been doing this for a while, and this Poor People's Campaign, which is going to be continuing in Washington and around the country.

[26:50]

So, to sit to talk about Samantabhadra as an activist is just one side of Samantabhadra, but I think it's there in the way Samantabhadra is described. And there's also this kind of vision, this holographic vision of reality, where each piece of reality contains all of the rest of reality, and the beauty of reality, and the beauty of this interconnectedness. So maybe I'll stop with that. Comments, questions, responses, please feel free. Ben.

[28:06]

It's very flowery, yes. And it might have been such an experience that inspired whoever it was who put this down. But these kinds of meditative visions, you know, this is amongst the most, you know, whatever, cosmic.

[29:16]

This is the world of the Mahayana, you know, and sometimes it's more prosaic than this, but anyway. But there's also this kind of artistic aspect to it. Other comments or questions? Yes, Katie. So that's the vow to benefit all beings.

[30:22]

Yeah. Right. Also, I wanted to see, maybe I'm kind of behind the times here, but if you have recommendations for the most successful parts of the vow and the sutra. And I've attempted a couple of times to look at it, but I feel like I could be open to it, just as I didn't think I was open to the Lotus Sutra, and then a couple of years ago, You know, the Flower Ornament Sutra, when I was at Tassajara, I just read it all the way through because you have study periods and it makes it easier to do that. I just loved it. I recommend reading it aloud because It's that kind of text. But there are parts, so the last chapter, which is one of the longest chapters, is an independent sutra, the Gandavyuha, where this Bodhisattva goes to 53 different, this pilgrim goes to 53 different Bodhisattvas, and they're all different kinds of people, men and women, and priests and lay people, and anyway, somebody specializes in incense and a mariner, and you know,

[31:37]

and goddesses and ghosts and anyway, and each of them says, gives the wonderful teaching and says, but actually I don't know so much, you should go see so and so and then he goes on. So you know, you don't have to read the whole thing, just open it and read little bits of it. There's a chapter called chapter nine, purifying practices, which has all these gathas or verses in it for, just everyday things, and a lot of the verses used in monasteries. I'll just open it and read a little bit of that as a way of seeing if I can find that. Yeah, this is totally at random. So this is what bodhisattvas do. If they get fine food, they should wish that all beings should fulfill their aspirations and be free from envy and longing. If they get poor food, they should wish that all beings should not fail to obtain the taste of all meditations.

[32:43]

Getting soft food, they should wish that all beings be imbued with compassion, their minds becoming gentle. So these are different verses to use in all kinds of different situations. When they enter a bath, they should wish that all beings enter omniscient knowledge, knowing past, present, and future are equal. When washing their bodies, they should wish that all beings be undefiled in body and mind, radiantly pure inside and out. In the blistering heat of the day, as summer's coming, They should wish that all beings cast off myriad afflictions, putting an end to them all, and so forth. It just has pages of these verses about how to think about what to wish for in a particular situation. Seeing happy people, they should wish that all beings always be peaceful and happy, gladly supporting the Buddha, the Buddhas.

[33:53]

So anyway, there's pages of stuff like that. So that's chapter nine. You might try that. Bill. Sure, and everybody should know that when Bill makes comments about politics or when I make comments about politics, please don't feel you have to agree with Bill or with me. We're here to just, you know, allow a discussion. So go ahead. Jeffers, I think, the minister who was giving the dedication at the embassy today. He also attacks Catholics as well. Right. I don't know if you've heard this, but they were playing He's rolling around in his grave, yeah.

[35:08]

Okay. conditions of the bridge. The college city wants to have us on the college city. Yeah, the situation in the Middle East is obviously just so fraught with confusion and it's, yeah.

[36:27]

Yeah, I don't know what, you know, how we can find peace in the world, although, you know, the Korean War just ended, so that's, you know, things happen. We don't know how things happen, you know. After lots of work, suddenly something good may happen. But I did hear that sometime in the next few weeks, Jared Kushner's going to unveil his solution to the peace in the Mideast, so we'll see. Anyway, we don't know. We don't know how these things work. But we can note when things are happening that cause harm. Even when we don't have all the answers, we can pay attention. And I think awareness helps, sometimes anyway. So, we're almost at time, but if anybody has any last thoughts about anything?

[37:57]

Questions about Samantabhadra? Yes, Laura? I would be laughing. I mean, some of those lyrics are pretty salacious. I didn't listen to the words. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Only the chorus. Yeah. Yes, about David and Bathsheba, yeah. Yes, Susan. Yeah, and wishing for good for people, wishing for kindness and wishing for benefit for people.

[39:06]

Yeah, and that's part of what Samantabhadra is about. We are all connected, you know, and how we take care of each other and express kindness in our own lives does have an effect that's beyond what we can see, I believe. So why don't we close with the Darfur Bodhisattva Vows. Thank you.

[40:09]

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